People in Portsmouth demand more cash for police as fears about violent crime soar

The News took to the streets of Cosham following the stabbing in Lynton Grove, Copnor, on Easter Saturday, to find out how people felt about crime in the city.

Bob Futcher, 59, of Fifth Avenue, Wymering, said he was most worried about knife crime.

‘There should be more done to stop it,’ he said. ‘They’ve taken the police off the streets and making cuts but really, they should be upping the police presence.’

Kathleen Austin, 79,of Hawthorn Crescent, Cosham, was also concerned about the situation. She said: ‘It’s a bit concerning really. Knife crime is getting really bad at the moment.

‘The police can’t seem to do an awful lot about it because they’re short staffed like everything else.

‘I can’t see how it can be stopped. I wish there was a way, but I don’t know how.

‘I think it’s just going to get worse unless something is done about it.’

She called for tougher sentences for those caught with knives and added: ‘If people keep getting away with it then they’re going to keep doing it. It’s a vicious circle really.’

Dean Boswell, 56, of Windsor Road, Cosham, felt the situation was ‘getting worse as the years go on’ and said police needed more resources pumped into it to tackle the levels of violence on the streets.

‘I don’t know what the answer to it all is,’ he added. ‘I don’t think the police have enough power anymore and I think younger people today – not all of them but some of them – don’t have enough respect for their elders.

‘I think it’s a problem that’s been created by society itself.’

However, Kevin Leverseege, 52, of Deerhurst Crescent, in Paulsgrove, said he was not as concerned about crime although did want to see more police on the streets.

He said: ‘It can be very nasty sometimes. I think a lot of it is related to alcohol abuse. Other than that, it’s alright, it’s quite calm round here.

‘But there should be more police on the street to stop it from happening. That might ease the situation.’